Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plans Should Incorporate Latest Research

On June 13, 2024, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted comments to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), urging the agency to strengthen key aspects of management as part of the revisions to its 2015 plans for the greater sage-grouse habitat range. Of the 245 million acres of federal lands under BLM’s jurisdiction, about 67 million are sage-grouse habitat—an area spanning 10 western states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.

Populations of the iconic bird have fallen 80% throughout their range since 1965, with half of that drop occurring over the past two decades. BLM is reexamining its 2015 plans to incorporate new science and changing climatic conditions, and to balance consistency across the sage-grouse range with the flexibility to address local conditions.